Notes
by makristina
Summary: Danny's paper ramblings. Set during season 5 - No spoilers. An epic oneshot.
1. Chapter 1

Notes

Danny sat at his desk, aimlessly doodling on a piece of scrap paper. He had just closed a double homicide, and wanted a few minutes to himself. Some time to reflect. Some time to think.

"Probably a bad idea," he mumbled to himself.

His hand still drawing lazy scribbles, he looked up just in time to see Lindsay pass their office, no doubt on her way to the lab, judging by the evidence box in her hand. He saw her pass Flack, and they exchanged a few words. Flack smiled. Lindsay laughed. He could almost hear it himself, and it killed him.

As both her and Flack continued on their original paths, Flack casted a glance in Danny's direction, giving him a little wave. Danny, in return, lifted a hand in a half wave, plastering a smile on his face, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.

He scarcely allowed himself to be true to himself, let alone others, although in this particular case, he admitted to himself that he was jealous of Flack. He had what he and Lindsay used to have. _Used to._

He also admitted that he was a selfish bastard, considering seeing her happy, and moving on without him, created this gnawing in his chest. He really should be happy for her, but his chest ached at the sight of her: light, cheerful, hopeful of the future. It was stubborn and rude of him to think she should be more like him, dry, emotional and cross, because they've lost an important thing. Each other.

What kind of ex-boyfriend wants the woman he loves to be a wreck? "An epic fail of not just an ex, but a boyfriend all together," Danny muttered.

It was only then did Danny look down at his paper ramblings. His lips curled up into a dull, but hopeful smile, his eyes focused on the sheet of paper.

"Yo, Danny!" Hawkes booming voice startled Danny, and in an effort to hide his newly written notes, he slid a case file over it. "We've got a scene in Midtown. Grab your jacket."

Danny let out a sigh, pulling himself away from the desk, and also his thoughts.

* * *

Lindsay made her way to her desk, having nothing to do but paperwork as she waited for lab results. She looked over at Danny's desk and stack of case files, smiling lightly at the thought of him avoiding paperwork like the plague. She figured their last case folder would be in that pile, untouched, and decided to finish it and get it over with. She stood up, and walked around to his desk, shuffling some papers around, looking for their file.

After a quick glance in each folder, still finding nothing, she noticed a final case file. She picked it up, skimmed over it quickly, finding it wasn't the one she had been searching for.

Placing that folder on top of the rest of them, she glanced across his desk, hoping somehow their case file would catch her eye. Instead, she saw a piece of paper with Danny's chicken scratch writing all over it.

She picked it up slowly and ran her eyes across it, the few words she'd caught causing her to fall into his chair.

His smell immediately engulfed her, something that didn't help the present situation. The paper's short phrases had no pattern, just a disarray of randomness. Although, they really weren't that random. Most had a similar theme: her and Danny.

_Danny & Lindsay_, _i love you_, _Messer & Monroe _and _Montana _were some of them. She wondered what this all meant, and she swallowed hard.

What struck her the most was near the bottom of the page, a simple little note.

_Danny & Montana._

It was written in black ink, with many circles and underlines assaulting it. She could see the light smudge around the edge, where Danny accidentally ran his hand through.

Clearly he hadn't meant for her to find it, but now that she had, she couldn't very well put it back and pretend nothing happened. She decided she had two opinions. One, throw it out and wait until Danny sees it, hopefully understanding her feelings for him.

Or two, she could succumb to the feelings deep within her and somehow make her feelings known. So many thoughts flooded her mind, she began to feel overwhelmed.

_Danny. Love._

A glance towards the trash.

_Cheated. Hate._

Back to the note.

_Montana_.

Trash. _Hate._

Note. _Love._

The stark contrast between her feelings made it so hard for her to decide. She wanted to hate him, boy she did. But in all of her efforts, she found herself drawn to him. Telling herself to get over him, and to work with him and be civil instead of ignore him, made her feelings for him more prominent. Seeing him all the time, acting as though they were simply friends, made her heart ache for more.

Going forward with her second choice, she grabbed a pen from its holder, and quickly added a single word to his page, feeling a lightness she hadn't before. A jittering feeling of hope and excitement for what a reaction may hold. Not just any reaction. His.

Danny & Montana

_Forever_

_

* * *

_A/N: Read n' Review.. they go together like M&M's. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Notes – 2

A/N: I forgot to mention my lovely beta, **Laurzz**, who is AMAZING. Now I will try to make amends by writing another chapter for her. *cough needs some _Goodbye_ action cough*

The scene was gruelling: Another double, this time a mother and her daughter. Danny's stomach had been up in knots ever since he'd arrived, and he couldn't wait for this moment.

Walking into the lab with a couple of evidence boxes, he attempted to press the elevators "up" button. After a few failed attempts, a hand, clearly a woman's, pressed the button for him. He glanced over at the pretty blonde, probably a receptionist, who gave him a flirty glance.

In response, he gave her a polite smile and entered the elevator. Three years ago he might have given her a grin. Maybe even his name. He probably would've gone as far as to chat it up with her. But three years was a long time, and a lot of things have changed.

More specifically: Lindsay had entered his life.

So as they continued to ascend, contrary thoughts of attraction, Danny thought of the many things he loved about Lindsay.

Her drive and motivation for the job.

Her passion for life.

Her calm nature at times.

And her wild personality at times.

Her strength.

Her vulnerability.

He almost didn't notice the doors open to the elevator. He quickly stepped out. He had to admit he even loved her imperfections: her pulling away, her closing-off, her running. It wasn't that he enjoyed those things; it was just that he loved her. Anything and everything _her._

Being at the scene for almost 3 hours, he just wanted to sit. He stopped by Adam's lab, dropping off the evidence and a copy of the case file, telling him to start without him.

Taking his break, he grabbed a coffee from the breakroom, and slipped into their office. Sinking into his seat, he sighed and began to relax, until he almost immediately could smell her scent. It was on his chair, around his desk. It was everywhere.

He swallowed nervously, unsure of what she's seen or done while he'd been gone. It almost worried him a little bit. Glancing down at his desk, he froze in horror. His eyes rested upon his little scribblings from earlier, and he thought he was going to fall through the floor.

He picked it up with shaky hands, not really reading the words, but more or less staring at the paper. _Well it's not torn up or in the garbage, so that's gotta be one good thing._

He then began to read it. Nothing had been changed at all, nothing altered. It looked almost exactly like he left it. _Almost_.

He actually almost missed it, if it hadn't been for the blue pen. He'd written in black, and the blue stood out.

Danny & Montana

_Forever_

His heart dropped, still beating rapidly. His stomach filled with excitement and fear, and his head was spinning. He re-read and re-read the words, as if they weren't real. He wanted to stand up and find her, but he guessed that if he tried, he'd pass out from the head rush.

Letting his mind settle, his chest ached and he slowly rose. _So far, so good._ He sprinted out of their office, not sure where she'd be. Finding her alone in the A/V lab, he swiftly walked in, and closed the door.

She heard the door and turned her head enough to see him approaching. Her throat went dry and she continued to act as though she was working. She felt herself being turned in the chair, and become face to face with a kneeling Danny Messer.

He had spun her around, wanting to look her in the eye. He wanted her to understand, to know how he felt, to feel every ounce of love he could show her.

His eyes fell to her arm as he slowly trailed his hand up, along her shoulder, across her jaw, bringing his hand to caress her face, his eyes following the whole time. He cupped her face, locking eyes with her.

It was here, at this moment, when no apologies were needed, no declarations of love, no explanations. This was the moment where the world froze. This was the moment where the spark turned into a flame.

This was their reconnection.

He leaned over slowly, and she met him halfway, giving herself in to him, silently telling him in this action that she was willing to give herself to him. Right here, right now.

He tilted his head slightly, their lips meeting in a slow, burning sensation. The torturous drag of her teeth against his bottom lip, slowly drawing his lips apart, did him in. He responded quickly by accepting her fully, exploring one another's mouths with a painfully exquisite passion.

Pulling apart, he brushed a hair behind her ear, causing her to blush. Their foreheads touching, the burn forming there bringing the slightest of tears to his eyes, caused him to close his eyes. He heard a happy sigh escape her lips as they rested in this position, still not a word spoken between them.

And it was in this silence they found their redemption.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: The usual disclaimer. Laurzz, my love, is the greatest beta EVER. And thanks to her for also supporting me on my own epic oneshot adventure.

She rewound the tape one last time, looking for the missing piece. Something in the top corner caught her eyes as she highlighted it and zoomed. While doing this, she thought of whether or not Danny had received her addition to his note, and what he would do about it. Knowing him, she figured he'd probably go on the hunt for her, chase her down.

Still engrossed in the video, she didn't notice the presence to her right until she heard the door click. She shifted her eyes and turned her head slightly, catching Danny out of the corner of her eye. Quickly recovering from the heart failure that was Danny Messer, she pretended to be very interested in whatever was on the screen. _So predictable_, she laughed in her mind.

She felt his warmth surrounding her, as she was suddenly and abruptly turned around. He kneeled down in front of her, his eyes meeting just below hers. Even though she was almost completely sure he came because he was happy, she was still skeptical of the situation, her nerves making her shaky.

But the moment he touched her, she was a goner.

Brushing his fingertips slowly up her arms, across her collar bone and up to cup her cheek made her knees weak and chest expand, and if she hadn't been sitting down already, she would've probably fallen to the ground.

He leaned forward slightly, and without thinking, she returned the action. She wanted to show him her acceptance of him, his mistakes, his past, and his future, hopefully with her.

And as their lips met, she realized a lot of things. She realized how much she truly cared for this man, and how her love for him would never, ever die. She also realized how much she was willing to forgive him, because he is a genuinely good person, who deserves a second chance. She lastly realized how much she truly loved the things this man could do with his lips. She barely finished the thought as she perished beneath his kisses.

As the kiss broke and their foreheads met, she knew he was thinking the same thing: this upward battle had simply made them fearless.

Nothing could stop them now.

* * *

She heard him groan and opened her eyes to see his contorted face.

Giggling, she stood up, pulling him up with her, relieving some of the stress the kneeling had put on his knees.

"What?" Lindsay asked, brushing her hand through his hair.

"I don't wanna go back to work," he whined.

She smiled up at him, and then leaned in to kiss his chin. "I'll make you a deal," she mumbled into his stubble.

"And what's that, Montana?" He eyed her cautiously.

Leaning into him, and resting her head on his shoulder, she felt his arms wrap around her. "If you can make it through the rest of your shift, I'll let you take me out tonight," she whispered next to his ear.

The grin that lit up his face said it all, as he brought his lips to her forehead. "Mmh... I guess I could do that. Except, between you and me, I think I'll be keeping you in," he said, his lips still brushing against her skin.

She lightly slapped him, pulling away and turning back towards the video. "Get to work, wiseass."

He smiled and leaned over, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

Walking towards the door, he put his hand on the doorknob then stopped, turning to study her profile one last time.

"_Go!_" She called out, laughingly. _She knows me too well._

"Alright, alright, I'm goin'," he laughed, walking out of the room.

With a new found spring in his step, the thought of hope, forgiveness and love flooded his mind with happiness.

Their relationship in so many ways was like an airplane. It had left without them. Except this time, it had turned round and come back; ready to give them another chance. Another take-off.

* * *

A/N: Please, read and review!


End file.
